Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-01-07

y A'N'h F7"'N ~ f-''t'' W. - ~
pride This was his daughter this
Young LADY, He and Annie had not
had such fine wedding. He felt like
rushing up to her, and telling her he
was her father.
But AT this moment, one of the girls
said. quite audibly:
Jenny, just look at that horrid man.
| feel right scared of him.
Jimmy shrank back. No doubt. his
tangled halr and eyes bloodshot with
fever made him an unpleasant sight.
This was not the time to press his rela-
tionship upon Lima. He would get n
nights lodging somewhere in the viii
lage, and "sorter fix up" before going
to his sistcr-in-la house.
He paused at a small cottage on the
edge of Palmyra. OF old, the Lemons
had lived here; but when he knocked, n
strange face appeared at the door.
kin ] get nights lodgin' here?'
Jimmy asked.
Am you?' repeated the man. step
ping hastily back. and speaking with
angry sarcasm. Not much you can't.
with them spots all over your face.
The country's full o. smallpox; but we
bAN'l HtPl iOllN IlClts III We UOH |
want none. So you clear out, an don t
be givin' it to other folks. The Mayor
won't allow you in the town. he add
ed. with the ptilessncss of terror.
He slammed the door, and retired,
calling: "Almiry: you Almiry fetch me
the campfire bottle.
Jimmy turned away, with a swelling
heart. He was an outcast, then-Jim-
my Gayle who had been always well
come among his wandering compan-
ions, and had been called good fellow
But he would ask nothing more of any
man. he said to himself. as he toled
along whittier? He scarcely knew.
He came TO an empty cabin, standing
not far from the road. 1t was poor
enough place, and the floor would make
n hard bed but at least il would be n
roof over his head.
He grew worse and worse.
II b'lieye I'm dyin',' he muttered
AN never got home, after all. ~
He tried 10 frame n PRAYER, and fix
his mind on pious things. But all he
would think OF was the greenland
white Methodist Church where he had
gone TO Sunday-school. The picture
rose before him of himself seated on
bench. swinging his bare feet The
back door stood open. and his thoughts
went wandering out like lost sheep-past
the great clump of Cherokee studded
thick with white roses, and the bloomy
hawthorn hedge, across the green fields,
TO the great woods where there was n
glimpse of bright water running on
and on. With what a mixing voice il
called upon him TO follow, His sun
dGy-school teacher wore wonderful
flowers on her bonnet. and used some
sweet kind of scent on her handker-
chief. He never knew his lesson. and
she used to shake her head At him. and
hold up Tom Parker rs model of
good behavior, rs she put down Il bad
mark after Jimmy's name. The little
shrill voices of the children. singing
the hymn, rang through his head
How stillit was. this Sunday! II seem
ed rs If the birds knew what dav it was,
and kept quiet. Only the childrens
hymn and tho recdy pipe of the melo-
deon lloated out of the window, and
rose toward the sky.
lie came back with a start
"Ies-Im dyin',' he said in n
parched voice.
He fumbled at Bcppo's collar. Why
should he keep the poor beast with
him, to Starye? H. could live life of
liberty in the woods At first Beppo
did not realize the fact of his freedom,
but continued to frolic aimlessly about
the hut
jimmy blearcd eyes followed him.
with the anxious hope that he might
stay.
But Beppo had discovered the door
he hestatcd on the threshold for an IN
slant and was gone
The man sobbcd aloud. Now, indeed,
he was alone.
Then he forgot himself in heavy
dreams, through which the outside
noises of birds and insects pierced
dimly.
lie thought that Lima was child
again. and her little pattering football
was echoing on the bare floor. The
sound was so real that his eyes sprang
open.
1t was Bcppo Affection for his mas
ter was scarcely the power that had
brought him back. 1t was rather be-
cause he had been bred in close quar-
tiers. and did not comprehend. a vet
the wide liberty of woodland life More
than this. all that this brute instinct
knew of home and food conferred in
Jimmy; 80 he had come home to be fed.
Jimmy tried to thank God for releas-
ing him from the terror of utter lonli-
ness. He thought TO himself that he
would feed Bcppo once a day, so that
the creature would stay with him, as
long as the food in the knapsack lasted.
But he would drift away into stupor
again, and Embarrassing from it, would
fancy that another day had come. and
it must be time to feed Beppe.
In reality, the period of his suffering
was not long; but what an eternity of
misery it held.-of fever, of pain and
the agony of thirst soaring the parched
and swollen throat.
Beppo scrambled about the floor
playing with sticks and straws, and
chattering TO himself Sometimes. he
would try TO catch the scaly-b backed
lizards that darted away over the rough
boards with husky, rafting noise.
apI b,. 4 Z.